More than 50 female triathletes dived into the Seine River early Wednesday morning just hours after organizers of the Paris Olympics said the water quality was acceptable for swimming.
The swimming portion of the event was in doubt for several days after tests revealed elevated levels of bacteria in the iconic waterway due to weekend rainstorms, putting swimmers in danger of infection. The conditions forced organizers to cancel two training sessions and postpone the men’s triathlon on Tuesday.
Organizers considered canceling the swimming portion of the women’s triathlon if the bacteria levels were still too high, leaving just the cycling and running portions.
But the worst actual risk came from slippery-wet streets after an early morning rainfall, causing several athletes to skid and fall during the cycling portion.
The full race was held and France’s Cassandre Beaugrande won the gold medal after crossing the finish line on the historic Alexandre III bridge with a time of 1 hour, 54 minutes and 55 seconds. Beaugrande edged silver medalist Julie Derron of Switzerland by six seconds, with Britain’s Beth Potter winning bronze.
Hours after the finish of the women’s triathlon, the men’s triathlon took place, with Britain’s Alex Yee winning the gold medal with a time of 1 hour, 43 minutes and 33 seconds. New Zealand’s Hayden Wilde crossed the finish line six seconds later to win the silver medal, while Parisian spectators cheered countryman Leo Bergere as he won the bronze medal.
Swimming in the notoriously dirty Seine has been banned for more than a century.
Paris has spent $1.5 billion since 2015 on new infrastructure projects to clean up the river in time for the Olympics. Mayor Anne Hidalgo swam in the Seine several weeks ago to show conditions were safe for both athletes and Parisians once the Games were finished.
Some information for this report came from The Associated Press, Reuters, Agence France-Presse.
